Our Learning Leads

Our Learning Lead Teachers develop lessons, communicate with their team about enhancing teaching and learning, and assist the teachers with concerns about educational progress and behaviour. They work alongside and in a team of other teachers who are all expected to align the curriculum across grade levels, to ensure all students are receiving a similar education.

Charlotte Mills

INTERNATIONAL EARLY YEARS LEARNING LEAD

The role of an Early Years teacher is to encourage children to take ownership of their thoughts and ideas, to know their voices are listened to and respected. To foster a love and motivation of learning that will continue through their education journey.

An inquiry-based learning environment encourages development and active participation in exploration, investigation and problem solving. Our classroom environments and activities are carefully planned with natural materials to help children connect with nature inside and outside the classroom. We understand that each child is unique and develops and learns in different ways and at different rates, we encourage children to learn in ways that suit their abilities and interests. We have respect for each other and learn to build positive relationships with our peers and teachers.

Sincerely,

Charlotte Mills

INTERNATIONAL EARLY YEARS LEARNING LEAD

BILINGUAL EARLY YEARS LEARNING LEAD

I believe that an Early Years Teacher’s role in the classroom is to not only teach but to bring balance to their students and to help them in all areas of their learning.

Here at HAIS we consider a curriculum of play based learning to be the most effective way of educating our young learners. We recognise that every child learns in a different way so we always incorporate multi-sensory learning to keep our lessons fun and interesting and our students engaged. Recognising that learning does not only occur in the classroom, our teachers in our Early Years Team utilise all areas of the campus to better enhance their lessons and direct their students to new and fascinating learning opportunities. Communication is key and because of this we offer a variety of tools of communication so our parents never miss any academic achievements or learning milestones.

Finally, it is our shared opinion that a happy child is a healthy child, which is why we create a student centred learning environment that ensures that all of our students go home each day with a big smile and come back to school the following day ready and excited to start a new day of learning.

Best regards,

Vo Thi Tuong Vy

BILINGUAL EARLY YEARS LEARNING LEAD

INTERNATIONAL PRIMARY LEARNING LEAD

The primary school years are a time for children to explore, interact and develop an understanding of their place within their school, local and global communities. Children at this stage of their lives are naturally curious about the world around them and it is the work of teachers to expand and nurture this curiosity to encourage all students to become life-long learners.

I would like to extend the warmest of greetings to the HAIS community and inform you all of how blessed I feel to now be a part of this community. I have been teaching students in primary schools for the past decade and have developed a passion for the craft of education. My first eight years were spent teaching in Australian schools where I developed an understanding of holistic education and its vital role in the development of all children. I moved to Vietnam three years ago where I became Head of Studies in an international school in Binh Duong. Now, along with my wife and two children, I am extremely excited to begin this next chapter of our lives at HAIS.

It is my goal to be actively involved in the education of all students within the primary school and to form meaningful relationships with all members of the wider school community. As International Primary Learning Lead, I will work closely with students, parents, and teachers to ensure robust teaching and learning within the Cambridge Curriculum and allow the opportunity for each child to reach their full potential. I may be biased, but teachers are among the most wonderful people in the world and they have chosen to dedicate their careers to not only the children under their care but to add a significant contribution to future generations. With this in mind, I plan to support teachers to make their job as impactful as possible so that each student can actively engage in all aspects of school life.

Finally, I place children’s social and emotional well-being at the forefront of all I do. Student’s should feel safe and free to experiment within all aspects of life, both inside and outside of the classroom and school. They should be comfortable making mistakes as it is through our mistakes that we learn. They should be encouraged by the adults in their lives to not only perform well during the schooling years but to develop an awareness of the endless possibilities that will unfold throughout the rest of their lives.

Thomas Dowden

INTERNATIONAL PRIMARY LEARNING LEAD

BILINGUAL PRIMARY LEARNING LEAD

If we compare the teaching process to horticulture work then, in my opinion, primary school teachers are the ones who plant the seeds and take care of the seedlings. Whether a tree is able to grow up strong, bear fruit and stand up strong in a storm, are all decided by this crucial stage.

I do not deny that I have learned a lot of valuable things from my teachers at the Pedagogical University and from my colleagues in different educational fields, especially in the public environment. But there is a fact that teaching in Vietnam is mainly concerned with “learning to know” rather than focusing on “learning how to do”, “learning how to adapt ” or especially “learn how to assert yourself”. Even a student who has graduated from high school may not know what they will be studying in university or what their dream is about, and they can only feel confused by many different opportunities behind each door in their life. (Based on four educational goals set by UNESCO: “Learning to know, learning how to do, learning how to adapt and learning to assert yourself” – “Learning to know, learning to do, learning to live together and learning to be.”).

When coming to HAIS, I had a desire to work and contribute in a more dynamic, flexible and creative environment. I wanted this so that I was not confined by the norms and standards of the old Generation or pathways in deciding what students needed to learn and thereby bringing positive change for my students. It is true that modern society has helped children to develop in a comprehensive way and comprehensive development is also the core common goal for primary education in Vietnam.

But, this does not mean that children need to be completely developed academic people. They don’t need to know and learn absolutely everything from the adults. At HAIS, we aim to lay the first foundations in their personal development by teaching them the full range of knowledge in all subjects according to the curriculum of the Ministry of Education and Training. We are here to listen and to understand their learning needs, to let them have fun, to share their emotions, to inspire and engage with them, to help them discover their values on their own and how they can promote these values in the community. We work closely with their family and loved ones, to help them shape and develop a good personality, as a “shining example” that can reflect the child’s future image. I am truly grateful for my time here at HAIS because this school has given me the opportunity to develop myself so that I can become more confident with my teaching philosophy. At HAIS there is respect for individuality, respect for differences and a focus on the development of each individual student is always highly valued here.

There is a saying that I love so much and I always take it as a guideline for years, when I go out and explore the educational horizons full of dreams: “If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.” (Ignacio Estrada). I will always try to do the best for my students, making them happy people, in a joyful school and allowing them to become who they want to be in the future.

Best Regards,

Trinh Thi Dieu Linh

BILINGUAL PRIMARY LEARNING LEAD

SECONDARY LEARNING LEAD

My theory of learning is centred on engagement and intrinsic motivation. I strongly believe that students respond favourably to choices where they can take ownership over their work and progress. My guiding aim is to create an environment where students feel moved to learn. Cultivating this intrinsic motivation will make for engaged and passionate learners who can succeed academically.

Alongside this, I believe that education should be grounded in the development of skills. This can be achieved through the integration of interactive, collaborative and project-based learning in the classroom, with an aim to develop critical thinking skills in learners. Connecting curriculum to real-world experiences provides students with a context for their learning; it results in transferable skills and knowledge which can be taken outside of the classroom. It is my aim to build a learning environment which keeps up with the development of our global world and equips students with the skills to achieve their academic potential. Above all, my guiding principle as an educator is to create an environment where learners feel safe, confident and empowered to embrace learning with interest and enthusiasm.

Sincerely,

Hannah Lord

SECONDARY LEARNING LEAD

SPECIALIST SUBJECTS LEARNING LEAD

Central to any curriculum, and to the all-round development of a child, is the pursuit of the Arts. Thinking and working artistically develops a child’s confidence, technical skills, creativity and independence. It also offers opportunities for self-expression and to work without the fear of being ‘wrong,’ since art is a personal and subjective pursuit.

My aim is to create an inspiring learning environment so students may explore a range of themes, materials, techniques and artists imaginatively, creatively and through encouragement, with increasing confidence and independence.

Encompassed in this area at HAIS are Art, Music, PE, and new for this year, Drama. As the Art Teacher and the Learning Lead, I can’t wait to welcome the students back to school and to get started with the exciting activities we have planned for the year!

Best regards,

Frances Dobson

SPECIALIST SUBJECTS LEARNING LEAD